Conflict of Laws

Course Description:Conflict of laws deals with cases that involve more than one jurisdiction. The subject includes the jurisdiction of courts over nonresidents; which jurisdiction's laws apply to controversies between residents of different states or when a dispute arises from events or transactions that transcend state boundaries; constitutional and other limits on the parties' right to choose applicable law; conflicts between state and federal laws; and recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. Many issues that will be discussed are as old as our federal system. Others are as recent as today's headlines, e.g., does the Full Faith and Credit Clause permit a state to impose its public policy to reject marriages sanctioned in another state? Conflict of laws was recently added by the Arizona Supreme Court as a subject that may be covered in the essay portion of the Arizona Bar Examination.